Social Media Marketing: A Case Study on Jet

Prof.Kavitha

Venkatachari, IBS
Mumbai

Airways
Abstract:
Social media marketing has begun to play an increasingly
important role in the Service Industry, particularly the Travel

Aziz German Wala,

PGPM

& Tourism industry. This study studies the usefulness of

social networking services, micro blogs and social commerce
sites in the field of tourism in India. This study shows that
airline companies make a substantial amount of profits from
their investments in social media marketing activities. Jet
Airways, a leading airline in India, uses a variety of social
media

for

effective

social

marketing

activities.

By

understanding the characteristics of each social medium, the

effectiveness of the companys marketing activities is
maximized. As such, this case study provides opportunities to
understand

consumer

behaviors

influenced

by

new

information technologies in the travel & tourism industry.

This study presents the effectiveness of the social media
marketing in a case study of Jet airways which is adopted
several strategies at very early stage.
Keywords: Social media marketing; Internet marketing;
Micro blogging; Social networking site.
Introduction:
Social media based on openness, connectedness, and
participation is reshaping the business paradigm. Today a
1

Faculty of Information

large number of people use a form of social networking

Technology, Mumbai.

services, such as Facebook, Myspace, and LinkedIn for their

kavitav@ibsindia.org

personal and or professional function of life. As the consumer

2014 Batch Student,IBS

recognizes the role social media plays and its popularity

Mumbai,

grows, the tourism industry has invested in the strategic

aziz.german@yahoo.com

application of social marketing through social media.

For example, Tourism Australia recently

interviews. Experts in the field have stated

developed marketing programs through

that case study is a strategy for doing

Facebook and went beyond general online

research which involves an empirical

advertising. Continental Airlines, a leading

investigation of a particular contemporary

airline company, maintains a constant

phenomenon within its real life context

interaction with customers by using instant

using multiple sources of evidence.

messages

from

Although it may not be possible to portray

or

the whole context, a generalized idea can

to

information

answer
-seeking

questions
customers

followers.

be partly confirmed in a case study based

Therefore, it is critical to understand

on

consumer behavior depending on changes

2002).Likewise, using a case study of Jet

of new information technologies, because

Airways for this research could be useful

social media marketing is playing an

for the purpose of verifying a generalized

increasingly important role in hospitality

concept of social media marketing in

and tourism field (Chan and Guillet, 2011;

travel industry.

Xiang and Gretzel, 2010).While there is a

The research consisted of observations in

growing interest in social media marketing

(Phase I) and interviews in (Phase

in the tourism industry, the degree to

II).During Phase I, a series of observations

which and the quantity of academic studies

were

focused on the topic are negligible. By

marketing activities from March 2011to

examining how different social networking

April 2012. And the online advertisements

services are used in the case study of Jet

related to Jet Airways social media

Airways, this study does not only provide

marketing were reviewed and analyzed. In

academic foundation through exploratory

the course of Phase I, the interview

approach with a case study, but also

framework for Phase II was developed as

present managerial implications in the

well. During Phase II, interviews were

strategic application of social media

conducted with a couple of marketing

marketing in tourism.

personnel of Jet Airways.

Review of Literature

There are three types of interviews that

Research Method

could be potentially considered: fully

The Research methods used in this case

structured,

study

unstructured interviews (Robson, 2002). A

consisted

of

observations

and

particular

made

phenomenon

of

Jet

(Robson,

Airways

semi-structured,

social

and

fully structured interview is based on

What are the strategies for each

predetermined questions similar to survey

social media, such as Twitter, Face

questionnaires, and is an opposite concept

book, and Social Commerce etc?

of open response questions. A semistructured

interview

includes

predetermined questions, and yet semi-

What events do you promote to the

customer, using social media?

What are the customer profiles of

structured interview takes a more flexible

the participants in social media

format and may switch the order of

marketing campaigns?

questions and add explanations as needed.

What are the benefits by doing

In contrast to structured interviews, an

social

unstructured interview doesnt have a

company?

marketing

for

your

preset of questions or formats and may

Case Study Of Jet Airways, The No.1

involve a casual conversation about a

Among Indian Airlines For Social

specific topic. Among the types of

Media Practice:

interviews, a semi-structured interview

About the company:

was selected for the study because it was

Jet Airways was formed in 1992,

deemed important to make interviewees

following the open skies policy enunciated

feel

The

by the Indian government in 1992.Jet

interview process included the main and

Airways currently operates a fleet of 83

follow up interviews with marketing

aircraft, including 10 Boeing 777-300 ER

managers of Jet Airways in May 2012 and

aircraft, 12 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 47

November 2012, respectively. Table 1

next generation Boeing 737-700/800/900

provides the outline of semi-structured

aircraft, and 14 modern ATR 72-500

interview questions.

turboprop aircraft. With an average fleet

Table: 1 Outline of Semi-structured

age of 4.57 years, the airline has one of the

Interview Questions:

youngest aircraft fleet in the world.

comfortable

(Cha

2009).

Please describe marketing activities

Flights to 64 destinations span the length

adopted by you in the area of

and breadth of India and beyond, including

online and social media marketing?

New York (both JFK and

How does your company manage

Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow),

these

Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur,

social

activities?

media

marketing

Newark),

Colombo, Bangkok & many more.

customer preference and needs through

Objective of the study:

individual

How

are

the

social

customers

(Weber, 2007). Using real-time online

marketing activities of Jet Airways

communication tools available on such

managed?

social networking sites,

How is Customer analysis done by

maintains a friendly relationship with its

the company?

customers. Lastly, social commerce sites

What are the issues in Brand health

allow customers to make a direct purchase

and awareness and how are they

online during a limited time period (Rad

addressed?

and Benyoucef, 2010). A jet airway is

What is the rate of return on

offering its products for purchase through

investment and potential revenue

Autonomy Interwoven. Customers whove

through social media marketing

had positive experiences with social

tools employed by the company?

commerce

each social medium when using social

for

marketing

purposes.

For

example, micro-blogs such as Twitter is a

very

with

media

It is important to understand the nature of

media

interaction

powerful

platform

to

spread

information quickly to as many people as

possible (Zhao and Rosson, 2009). Jet
Airways takes advantage of this property
of Twitter and posts products which have
approaching deadlines in need of quick
sales. The success of social marketing
through Twitter can be seen by the sheer
number of followers of the Jet Airways
Tour on Twitter.
On the other hand, in addition to Twitter,
social networking sites such as Facebook
are used in order to provide more detailed
information to customers and to identify

voluntarily

Jet Airways

visit

social

commerce sites. This allows Jet Airways

to jump start on social commerce business
with

minimal

investment.

By

understanding the distinct characteristics

of each social medium, the effectiveness of
companys

marketing

maximized.

Moreover,

efforts
social

is
media

marketing serve as an additional revenue

source for the company through social
commerce.
Detailed

marketing

process

includes

providing travel information services twice

a day on Twitter or Facebook and
promotional events twice a month through
other social media by the company staff.
Products with approaching deadlines are
typically sold at special rates through
social commerce sites. Customer inquiries

are addressed via social media, email and

that age groups of those who made online

phone services, in order to improve the

purchases through Jet airways Twitte

Twitter or

customer relations. Moreover, offering

Facebook.People in their 20s ( 27 %) and

rewards during or after a travel, customer

30s (70%)
%) constituted the majority of on
on-

satisfaction is increased which

h often leads

line customer base. Interestingly, there

to repurchase through social media

media.

were more on-line

line customers in their 50s

Customer Analysis:

(10%)
%) than those in their 40s (12%). It is

A comparative analysis of the customers

explained that the Internet access in India

who typically purchase products off-line

off

is easily available to people in their 50s

and those using social media provides

who tend to have financial stability and

important findings. While the people in

more free time. No significant difference is

their 40s or more purchased products offoff

found in gender, however; over 70% of

line, people in their 20s and 30s bought

those using social commerce are female in

products using social media sites and

their 20s and 30s. Potential customers can

considered price more than the quality of

be identified
dentified based on this analysis.

product (Gnther et al., 2009) .It

It is found
Age
Kingfisher Jet Airways
4
10
13-20
40
27
20-30
79
71
30-40
33
28
40-50
3
10
50andabove
Table: 2 Customer Analysis (Source: Simplify 360)

Figure: 2 Customer Analysis (Source: Simplify 360)

This table gives us the likes and dislikes of

for

customers

on

various

concerns and requirements of Indian

Customers

like

good

parameters.
looking

Jet

Airways.

Understanding

the

and

customers, Jet Airways took step to

courteous staff, Punctuality and excellent

address those and its consistent delivery in

customer management. However they do

a credible and efficient way more than any

not like high pricing.

advertisement could have ever done.

While the initial endorsement built the

Brand Awareness:

brand awareness in the market, the

Jet Airways has built its brand by focusing

subsequent

on the ingredients required to realize its

passengers had with Jet Airways helped to

stated corporate mission to be the most

cement close ties. This positive experience

preferred airlines in India. When Jet

spread by word of mouth among the

Airways

Indian

various segments of the market. It created

Airlines was the market leader and was a

a buzz about Jet Airways impeccable

virtual monopoly
oly as it was state owned.

service, its friendly staff and its on time

Indian Airlines had built a reputation for

flights. All of this enhanced Jet Airways

providing pathetic service, delayed flights,

image in the eyes of its prospective

bad food and grumpy and irresponsible

customers.

entered

the

market,

brand

experience

that

staff. These things initially made it easy

Airlines
Kingfisher
Jet Airways

Table:
80.00%

Positive Sentiments

Brand

Negative Sentiments
Neutral Sentiments
67.37%
5.04%
27.59%
55.71%
13.71%
30.58%

Health

Comparisons

(Source:

Simplify

67.37%
55.71%

60.00%
40.00%
20.00%

27.59%

30.58%

Positive Sentiments
Negative Sentiments

13.71%
5.04%

Neutral Sentiments

0.00%
Kingfisher

Jet Airways

Figure: 3 Brand health Comparison between KingFisher and Jetairways

360)

Figure: 4 Number of conversations across the web (Source: Simplify 360)

The analysis of the effectiveness of social media Usage:
Table: 4 Measurement Metrics for Social media marketing (Hoffman and Fodor
2010)

Jet Airways regularly updates on Face

allowance). They have uploaded pictures

book and Twitter about their latest travel

on image sharing sites such as Flickr and

deals and offers new flight announcements

videos on YouTube to showcase their in-

interesting

Queries/

flight features. First-time fliers of this

Redressal (about flight timings, luggage

airline can now get an insight of

places

to

visit

entertainment and other features offered on

and Kingfisher Airlines. Together, they

their flights. Another reason why airlines

accounted for 72 percent of the total

are watching the social media closely is

volume of results. As observed in many

the factt that 75 per cent of frequent flyers

other scenarios, the Pareto rule is found to

would fly an airline if it is recommended

be true here. (This rule states that, for

by a friend, rather than flying the cheapest

many events, roughlyy 80 percent of the

one, as per MindShift data.Face

Face book

effects come from 20 percent of the

followers 64,222 and Twitter followers

causes.)Jet Airways and Indigo Airlines

4,348.

come in at the third and fourth positions

The two most prominent carriers in India

by volume
me on social media are Air India

respectively. JetLite and Spice Jet were

found in a very low number of results.

Figure: 5 Social Engagement Matrix

According

to

the

recent

study

by

beautifully synchronized their presence

Buzzom.com on Indian Airlines, Jet

across

Airways has emerged as the most active

Facebook, Twitter, You tube

tube, Flickr,

domestic airline on social media, followed

Foursquare and LinkedIn. They have also

by other airlines like spice Jet,, Kingfisher,

Kingfisher

started using QR codes.

Air India, Indigo and Go Air. When the

online

conversations

about

various

domestic airlines were studied. Jet has

social

media

platforms

like

various products like Jet Mobile, check-in

options, online booking etc. Aside from
that, Jet are also running contests on the
regular

basis

around

events

like

Valentines Day, Womens Day etc.,

throughout the year.
Figure:5 Share of a voice(Source:Simplify 360)

It has also launched an affiliate marketing

programme as part of the airline's new
digital
partners

marketing
may

strategy.

integrate

Jet

Affiliate
Airways'

booking engine on their site and allow

visitors to book tickets online. Apart from
getting direct access to the airline's
customized

booking

engine,

affiliate

partners also get promotional content and

banners on a regular basis. Hence, Jet
Airways, as one of the early adopters of

Twitter
Jet uses Twitter to engage with their
customers by responding to their queries
or complaints and updating them on recent
news. No wonder they have the largest
follower base among Indian Airlines with
more

than

8,400

followers,

consequently a high klout score of 53.

They re tweet the positive tweets and try to
help address the problems in case of
complaints or queries. .

this model in India, could be setting the

YouTubeJet has its official channel on

stage for others to follow suit.

YouTube but they havent been able to

Face book

and

leverage on this platform yet. They have

lot to learn from rival Kingfisher Airlines

On last count, Jet had 211,369 fans on

you tube channel which has more than

their Face book page, the highest among

460,000 channel views. They seriously

Indian Airlines. Some of the features on

need to create some interesting videos

their Facebook page are information on

which viewers feel like sharing with their

special offers, convenience of booking on

social networks.

Face book through a widget, customized

landing page for new fans to get an

LinkedInJet

overview of the airline , flying tips for

company page on LinkedIn. Again, Jet is

their guests, crisis updates, awareness of

the first airline in India to showcase its

also

recently

created

products on LinkedIn, keeping guests

JetWings

(the

in-flight
flight

magazine),

updated with the latest initiatives and

business cards, press advertisements, etc.

additional services to enhance

nhance their travel

To access information, users simply need

experience. The LinkedIn initiative will

to scan (take a picture) of the QR code

help make the airline an integral part of

(using a QR code reader) with their

their guests (especially the corporate

Smartphone which will redirect them to

customers) travel plans and also increase

Jets mobile site.

awareness among individuals who seek to

experience its services. 2800+ followers
on LinkedIn Page.

Flickr
Jet also has a presence on Flickr where
they upload day to day pictures of the Jets

QR Codes

culture, whether it be their ground staff,

cabin crew etc. This has been done to have
a peek into daily life of Jet which
represents a cool image. Although they are
yett to gain some substantial traffic to
Flickr but continuous updates show their
commitment. What comes out from all this

Jet has also been the early adopter of QR

analysis is that Jet is very clear with its

codes.. It provides synopsis of product

social media strategy and this is how a

features, advertisements, etc with QR

brand should openly approach and adopt

codes across our various communication

social media practices into its DNA.

channels including its Face book pages,

Year ended 31st March

Traffic parameters

2012

2011

Departures (Number)

41,992

39,003

Available seat kilometers (ASKMs) (Million)

5,829

5481

Revenue
ue passenger (RPKMs)(Million)

4,543

4,340

Passenger load factor (%)

77.9

79.2

Revenue passengers (Number)

4,794,658

4,332,469

(Source: Simplify 360)

use social media marketing tools in hotel

Conclusion:

and travel business.

This study presents the effectiveness of
social media marketing in a case study of

References:

Jet Airways, which adopted several social

media marketing strategies from the early
on. First ,different social networking sites,
micro blogging and social commerce tools
provide distinct features which should be
catered

to

meet

purposes.Therefore,the

different

application

of

social media marketing strategies requires

extensive research on target population
and through planning efforts. This study
shows that companies make substantial
profits from their investments in social
media marketing efforts. As shown in the
case study of Jet Airways, social media
marketing enhances the brand awareness

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